![[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 20, 2026; Milan, Italy; Juuse Saros of Finland makes a save against Canada in a men's ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,x_0,y_741,w_7330,h_4123/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/159/01kj13gt4ac9seycf7ve.jpg "[US, Mexico & Canada customers only] Feb 20, 2026; Milan, Italy; Juuse Saros of Finland makes a save against Canada in a men's ice hockey semifinal during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: David W Cerny/Reuters via Imagn Images")
1. Juuse Saros is arguably Finland's MVP for the tournament
Saros came in big in a lot of Finland's games. He was the only goaltender to appear in every single one of his team's games in the tournament, complete outstanding work from Juice. He's ranked as the third best goaltender (stat-wise) in the tournament with a .940 SV% and 1.66 GAA with one shutout. His 167 shots faced are the second most among goaltenders.
On average, Saros faced 28 shots per game. Considering he had to face some pretty offensive teams like Sweden and Canada, Saros played it cool and stopped as many as he could. Without judgement to the Finnish team, but I believe that Juice was the biggest reason why the team got as far as they did. Sure, they had excellent offense, but Saros made sure to stop almost every turnover shot the Fins gave up.
This tournament not only meant a lot to the players, but it meant a lot to Predators fans. Seeing their guys walk out of this with a sense of pride goes a long way for Nashville. These feelings of confidence and amped energy could potentially rock the Predators back on track if they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. The action returns Thursday as they face the Chicago Blackhawks at home.
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